Haute Time Visits Parmigiani Fleurier in London

Located in the heart of Mayfair at 97 Mount Street, ‘L’Atelier Parmigiani,’ provides a workshop experience in a luxurious setting, sure to please collectors curious to learn more about the inner workings of their timepieces.

Designed by French architect Thierry Conquet, this elegant boutique draws the attention to the center of the room, where the watches take center stage under the guidance of Maxime, the resident watchmaker.

Behind his bench, Maxime showcases the level of craftsmanship required of Parmigiani timepieces, which brands so often hide at the back of their stores. This interaction, with the person responsible for servicing your watch, shows the level of personal service the Atelier provides its customers.

Surrounding him are cabinets displaying the range of Parmigiani’s collection, inside walls of beige, gold, and brown.

The lucky ones can ask to be taken downstairs, to a private lounge which displays the boutique’s most complex pieces, from minute repeaters, to perpetual calendars and tourbillons.

Here’s an exclusive look at some of our favorites:

Co-developed with Bugatti, this is a super-watch for those who enjoy racing super-cars. Especially, those who favor the Bugatti Veyron, whose aerodynamic curves inspired the watch case. It was designed for true drivers, with a 90 degree angled dial facing perpendicularly so that the driver can read the time without having to take his hands off the wheel. Inside, it features an in-house developed, manually wound movement with 10-day power reserve. The watch comes with a strapped made by Hermès. Price on application.

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Parmigiani Fleurier’s Tonda Métrograph is a watch for busy urbanites, and the steel version, with black dial, features green Super-LumiNova sub-dial rings that glow in the dark for those who enjoy the after-hours. The watch houses the automatic PF315 calibre with 42 hours of power reserve, which can be seen through the transparent caseback. Pricing starts at £9,200, with a steel bracelet version available at £9,600.

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Parmigiani Fleurier released the Kalpa London Underground in 2013, for the 150th anniversary of the London Underground, known affectionately as the “Tube,” by the millions of passengers that use it each day. To celebrate, the brand released two limited edition timepieces, based on the Kalpa Grande and the larger, Kalpa XL collections. Both feature the familiar “tube” map on a black dial, and are exclusive to its Mount Street boutique. The Kalpa Grande version (pictured) is available from £11,000.